1930 - 1939
Remember: items marked with an * occurred as they did in our time line (OTL). Note that while many of the events without an * did occur in OTL, they didn't happen in quite the way described here, or at quite the same time. If you really just have to know how things played out in OTL, feel free to do the research. 2 Nov 1930 * Haile Selassie is crowned emperor of Ethiopia. 1 Dec 1930 * Women in Turkey gain the right to vote 14 Apr 1931 * The 2nd Spanish Republic is declared in Madrid. 24 Oct 1931 * The George Washington Bridge, connecting New Jersey with New Amsterdan, is dedicated; it opens to traffic the following day. 19 Sep 1931 * The Japanese invade Chinese Manchuria. They install deposed Chinese Emperor Puyi as (puppet) Emperor 7 Nov 1931 * Mao Zedong proclaimes the Chinese Soviet Republic in Jiangxi Province of southeastern China 18 Feb 1932 * The Japanese declare that Manchuria is officially independent of the Chinese Republic. Jun 1932 * Bolivia and Paraguay go to war over the Chaco region. 4 Jun 1932 * A military coup occurrs in Chile. 23 Sep 1932 * The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd is proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, concluding the country's unification under the rule of Ibn Saud. 30 Jan 1933 * Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany by German President Paul von Hindenburg. 4 Mar 1933 * Franklin D Roosevelt succeeds Herbert Hoover as President of the USA 23 Mar 1933 * The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany. 16 Nov 1933 The United States formally establishes diplomatic realtions with the USSR. This move is condemned by the Tsar in Alyeska. At the same time, relations with the USSR start out strained, as the USA refuses to remove its ambassador from Novy Petrograd. 26 Jan 1934 * Germany and Poland sign a ten year non-agression pact. 23 Feb 1934 * Leopold III becomes the King of Belgium 2 Aug 1934 * Adolph Hitler becomes Fuhrer of Germany, which makes him head of state as well as chancellor. 27 Dec 1934 * Persia changes its name to Iran 1 Jan 1935 * The Italian colonies of Tripoli and Cyrenaica are merged to create Lybia 20 Jan 1936 * Death of British King George V. He is succeeded by his son as Edward VIII 7 Mar 1936 * In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany reoccupies the Rhineland. 7 May 1936 * Italy annexes Ethiopia 17 Jul 1936 * A coup attempt in Spain sparks the Spanish Civil War 3 Nov 1936 * Franklin Roosevelt is elected to a second term in the US Presidency 10 Dec 1936 * Abdication of Edward VIII of Great Britain. He is succeeded by his younger brother, the Duke of York, who becomes King George VI 2 Jul 1937 * Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear after taking off from New Guinea during Earhart's attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world. 8 Aug 1937 * Japanese troops occupy Beijing, China. The government flees to Chungking 10 Feb 1938 * King Carol II of Romania, in violation of the nation's constitution, takes dictatorial powers 12 Mar 1938 * Germany occupies Austria and officially annex the country 1 Oct 1938 * German troops occupy the Czechoslovak Sudetenland Dec 1938 * President Roosevelt agrees to a 35 million dollar loan to the Chinese government. This has the immediate effect of souring already unhealthy relations between the USA and Japan 14 Mar 1939 * The Slovak provincial assembly proclaims independence from Czechoslovakia, in order to prevent a threatened partition by Hungary and Poland. Jozef Tiso becomes the president of the independent Slovak government. 15 Mar 1939 * German troops occupy the remaining part of Bohemia and Moravia; Czechoslovakia ceases to exist. The Ruthenian region of Czechoslovakia declares independence as Carpatho-Ukraine. 16 Mar 1939 * Hungary invades Carpatho-Ukraine, and conquers it after two days. 28 Mar 1939 * Dictactor Francisco Franco officially assumes power in Spain 7 Apr 1939 * Italy invades Albania. King Zog flees the country 24 Jun 1939 * The government of Siam changes the name of the country to Thailand, meaning "Free-land" 1 Sep 1939 * At 04.45 Central European Time, under cover of darkness, the German WW1-era battleship Schleswig-Holstein quietly slips her moorings at her wharf in Danzig harbor, drifts into the center of the channel, and commences firing on the fortress Westerplatte, a Polish army installation at the mouth of the port of Danzig, Poland. These are generally considered to be the opening shots of World War Two. Simultaneously, shock-troops of the German Wehrmacht begin crossing the border into Poland. 1 Sep 1939 * Norway, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland declare themselves neutral 2 Sep 1939 * Spain and Ireland declare themselves neutral 3 Sep 1939 * The United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany. 5 Sep 1939 The Republic of Texas declares war on Germany. The United States declares its neutrality. 10 Sep 1939 * Canada declares war on Germany 17 Sep 1939 * The USSR invades, occupies, and annexes eastern Poland 28 Sep 1939 * Poland surrenders to Germany 11 Oct 1939 * The Manhattan Project is officially started 30 Nov 1939 * The USSR Invades Finland, starting the so-called Winter War. Sweden declares neutrality in this conflict. 2 Dec 1939 The Tsar in Alyeska condemns the USSR's actions in both Poland and Finland, and confirms an accord with both Britain and France to assist them if needed.